Although Xilun didn't need a new wand, there were still other things to buy.
From the age of six until he was eleven, Xilun had been coming to Diagon Alley, and almost all the shopkeepers here knew him; he didn't even need to open the envelope to read his Hogwarts acceptance letter.
Just by walking around outside, Xilun knew what he needed.
"Little Xilun, I knew you'd come. All the new books are here, wrapped up..."
"Thank you, Mrs. Blott. So, how much do I owe you?"
"Two Galleons in total. How's that for a discount?"
"Irresistible," Xilun said from the bottom of his heart.
Eight books for two Galleons; Mrs. Blott of Flourish and Blotts must have only charged him the cost price.
Such a big favor surely had nothing to do with him; it was probably because of Ollivander.
To repay the discount on his first wand?
Perhaps.
Afterward, Xilun bought a complete set of pewter cauldrons, a brass telescope, a standard measurement of potion ingredients, and three sets of plain robes, including gloves, cloaks, and the like, all at discounts no one else could get, saving him a lot of money.
The apothecary owner had prepared more than the standard amount of herbs for him, about one and a half times the usual.
The items weren't worth much, but the gesture was significant, and Xilun didn't stand on ceremony with them, accepting everything with a smile.
Except for Eeylops Owl Emporium.
Xilun didn't know why the shop owner, Madam Theodore, was so enthusiastic, insisting on giving him an owl for free as a back-to-school gift.
Those things weren't cheap; a common variety cost ten Galleons, and better ones could even double that, so Xilun naturally refused.
He looked at the nearly sixty-year-old female shop owner in front of him and cluelessly scratched his head.
Honestly, he wasn't familiar with Madam Theodore; he hadn't even seen her many times, and he really couldn't understand why she was so enthusiastic.
Out of caution, Xilun did not accept her valuable gift. But the other party was too enthusiastic; Xilun, unable to refuse, could only bite the bullet and choose another pet.
A tabby cat... probably.
It looked very similar to a tabby cat, but its fur color wasn't as pretty, appearing a bit mottled and grayish.
When Xilun looked over, it was in a corner with a ginger-colored, flat-faced long-haired cat, ignored by everyone, even though its price was genuinely cheap.
One Galleon, only five sickles more than the cheapest rat, and even cheaper than most toads.
This was also why Xilun chose it.
At this price, he could accept it with a clear conscience. As for why he didn't choose the ginger one... mainly because he didn't have a Hobbies for collecting flattened soda cans.
Although Madam Theodore repeatedly advised Xilun that he could get a better-looking and more docile purebred cat for the same price, Xilun was very insistent.
Before figuring out the other party's specific intentions, he did not intend to accept such overly enthusiastic kindness.
In fact, he really wanted to pay for this cat too, but Madam Theodore refused to accept payment, saying that Xilun was doing her a great favor.
"That cat is too fierce; you'd best be careful at school, lest it eat someone's pet rat or toad."
Xilun looked at the tabby cat sprawled lazily on his arm, remaining skeptical of Madam Theodore's words.
Of course, even if it was truly that fierce, it didn't matter. Anyway, once he got to Hogwarts, he probably wouldn't have much energy to take care of a pet, so a bit of wildness would allow it to be self-sufficient.
...
An hour later, Xilun, laden with purchases, pushed open the door of the wand shop.
He planned to give the enthusiastic shop owner a wand care kit as a return gift before school started, plus a sheet of special wand stickers.
The stickers were something he had created last year, inspired by chocolate frog cards; they could move but wouldn't suddenly disappear.
Many people didn't mind spending one sickle to put a Dumbledore on their wand.
It was just that Ollivander always felt these things were a rip-off, and even though he allowed them to be displayed in the shop, he never actively promoted them, so only a very small number of people knew about them, and sales were mediocre.
Oh, and there were custom color sprays that could change the color of a wand, but Ollivander absolutely wouldn't allow Xilun to sell these in the shop, so Xilun could only lock them in a box.
However, this time he planned to take them to school and see if he could sell them.
Actually, Xilun knew very well why Ollivander objected: wands needed to be discreet, especially for dangerous jobs like an Auror, and colors similar to wood were the best camouflage.
Therefore, wands were basically predominantly brown, reddish-brown, and black.
Just imagine, if someone were operating at night and suddenly pulled out a bright red wand with a swish, that would be far too eye-catching, almost like wearing a Lumos Charm.
Of course, it wouldn't be a problem at Hogwarts; students didn't need to fight at night.
And being in their teens, it was precisely the time for individuality; who could resist not dyeing their wand a unique color?
While thinking, Xilun opened a small pouch containing about thirty-odd Galleons and a few silver sickles.
This was all his pocket money so far.
Considering Xilun's age, this amount was really not small, as most first-years' pocket money for an entire school year was only seven or eight Galleons.
But Xilun also had many places to spend money; he had to make wands, and the wand cores cost money, and the wood for the wand bodies wasn't cheap either.
Moreover, after starting school, he wouldn't be able to freely draw from the family assets; if he wanted something, he could only buy it himself.
Thinking about it this way, thirty Galleons really weren't enough...
How about making the gold and red sprays rare editions, doubling the price? Hmm, green and silver triple the price...
Xilun secretly made a decision.
It definitely wasn't intentionally targeting anyone; he wasn't that kind of person.
...
After first experiencing the wonders of the magic world, some young Wizards from Muggle families were reluctant to leave and came almost every day.
Some who weren't sure how to use a wand to open the entrance simply stayed at the Leaky Cauldron; the experienced Old Tom had prepared enough rooms early on, making a small profit.
This also made Diagon Alley increasingly lively in August; at a glance, every shop was packed with people... except for the wand shop.
Wands were not consumables; apart from the new students who came each year, it was almost impossible to have repeat customers in the short term.
Xilun was happy to have the peace and quiet. He used the time before school started to frantically scavenge through the storage room.
Inside were all the woods suitable for making wands that Ollivander had traveled the world for decades to find, every piece of them top-grade.
Before, Ollivander had been reluctant to part with them, but now that Xilun had received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, as a grandfather, he was uncharacteristically generous for once.
Xilun was like a Niffler that had fallen into a vault; his eyes were red.
Applewood soaked in pine resin for a whole year... Good stuff, I'll take it!
Ironwood, difficult to process but rare, take that too.
Oh, sycamore wood, also good stuff; it works wonders when paired with Phoenix tail feathers, and there's a Phoenix at Hogwarts, so I'll take it.
Grapevine, mediocre, but why not take it...
Walking further to the end, Xilun suddenly stopped, staring dumbfounded at a reddish-brown branch on a shelf ahead.
Merlin, a dragon blood tree main branch at least thirteen hundred years old! Old... My dear grandfather still hid such good stuff?!
Ollivander's face behind him turned pale, and he immediately wanted to stop him.
dragon blood wood was common; there was a lot of it in Romania, but one that could grow to thirteen hundred years was too rare.
Because of its hard texture and unique sulfur smell, that thing was much loved by Dragons and was considered a Dragon's teething stick.
There weren't many that could endure being gnawed on for over a thousand years; he had only found this small piece.
It just goes to show how quick young people are to react; before Ollivander could even speak, Xilun had instinctively taken the dragon blood tree branch and clutched it tightly to his chest.
Giving it back was impossible, don't even think about it. As an adult Wizard, one must keep their word; only a Dark Wizard would go back on it.
Was Ollivander a Dark Wizard?
Of course not.
And Xilun wouldn't let his dear grandfather become a petty person who went back on his word.
The result of this was the poor young Wizards who came to buy wands afterward.
They came happily to buy their first wand, only to look up and see a grim-faced, disheveled, and constantly muttering old eccentric.
A few of the more timid children almost cried and didn't want to buy a wand anymore.
Ollivander had caused quite a bit of mischief; hopefully, this image wouldn't leave a shadow in their young minds.
